Waymo has been expanding its operations across the US, eliminating its waitlist in San Francisco in June and opening up rides for people on its interest list in Austin, Texas, in October. The company plans to make its robotaxis available in both Austin and Atlanta via the Uber app in 2025. In metro Phoenix, public riders can already hail a Waymo via the Waymo One app or Uber. However, the rollout of these robotaxis has faced some challenges, including high-profile collisions and investigations into erratic behavior by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Key takeaways:
- Waymo, the self-driving company owned by Google's parent company Alphabet, has scrapped its waitlist for Los Angeles and opened up rides for anyone with the Waymo One app.
- Waymo has been expanding its operations across the US, with plans to make its robotaxis available in Austin and Atlanta via the Uber app in 2025.
- Waymo's robotaxis have been involved in a few high-profile collisions, leading to investigations by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
- Despite safety concerns, Waymo, along with other self-driving companies like Zoox and Cruise, have published reports emphasizing the safety of their vehicles and technologies.